Method and system for moving and removing winter contaminants from airfield and roadway pavements using a system of attachments

ABSTRACT

A system for removing contaminants from a surface, attached to a vehicle movable in a first direction. The system includes a first scraper for removing contaminants from a surface. A first conveyor system includes a continuous track element for conveying the contaminants removed from the surface in a second direction that is not aligned with the first direction. A second scraper removes contaminants from the surface and is positioned between the first conveyor and the vehicle. A second conveyor system is positioned between the vehicle and the second scraper and includes a continuous track element for conveying the contaminants removed from the surface in a third direction that is not aligned with the first direction. An ice and compact breaker is positioned between the first conveyor system and the second conveyor system. The ice and compact breaker includes a plurality of teeth for breaking the contaminants on the surface.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a method for treating a surface, inparticular, to a method for moving, removing, displacing, plowing,sweeping, air-blowing and conveying winter contaminants on a pavement ina lateral direction.

BACKGROUND

Conventional systems for removing winter contaminants (i.e., snow, ice,slush, etc.) from a surface utilize one of a snow plow, sweeper bristlesand air blowers and rotary plow snowblowers. However, the efficiency ofthese conventional winter contaminant removal systems is limited in thatmuch, if not most, of the energy required to displace the wintercontaminant to the sides of roadways and airfield pavements is wasted.In particular, for displacement snowplows a large amount of energy isexpended to move the winter contaminants longitudinally in the vehicle'sdirection of travel even though the purpose of the displacement snowplowis to move the winter contaminant laterally. For systems that utilizesweeper bristles, a large amount of energy is expended bending thebristles rotating on a horizontal axis that contact with the pavement onareas like airfield runways and taxiways. For systems that utilize airblowers, large amounts of energy are expended blowing air horizontallyacross the surface of areas like airfield runways.

The present invention provides a system and/or method that may improvethe efficiency of contaminant removal. The present invention may providemore aggressive cleaning and clearing of a pavement. The presentinvention may also improve aircraft braking performance and directionalstability while leaving less winter contaminants on the pavements.Accordingly, the present invention may reduce the need for theapplication of chemical or friction enhancing abrasives.

SUMMARY

There is provided a system for removing contaminants from a surface. Thesystem is attached to a vehicle that is movable in a first direction.The system includes a first scraper for removing contaminants from asurface. A first conveyor system includes a continuous track element forconveying the contaminants removed from the surface in a seconddirection wherein the second direction is not aligned with the firstdirection. A second scraper removes contaminants from the surface. Thesecond scraper is positioned between the first conveyor and the vehicle.A second conveyor system is positioned between the vehicle and thesecond scraper. The second conveyor system includes a continuous trackelement for conveying the contaminants removed from the surface in athird direction wherein the third direction is not aligned with thefirst direction. An ice and compact breaker is positioned between thefirst conveyor system and the second conveyor system. The ice andcompact breaker includes a plurality of teeth for breaking thecontaminants on the surface.

The system may also be configured such that the ice and compact breakeris vertically adjustable relative to the surface.

The system may further include a sweeper brush positioned between theice and compact breaker and the second conveyor system. The sweeperbrush may include a plurality of brushes for brushing the contaminantson the surface.

The foregoing system may be configured such that the plurality ofbrushes is fixed or rotatable about a vertical axis of the sweeperbrush.

The foregoing system may be configured such that the sweeper brush isvertically adjustable relative to the surface for cutting into anddisaggregating the contaminants on the surface.

It is contemplated that the system may include a blower mechanismpositioned between or behind the second conveyor system and the vehicle.The blower mechanism may generate a stream of high velocity air andinclude an outlet for directing the stream of high velocity air towardthe surface.

The foregoing air blower mechanism may be vertically adjustable relativeto a surface.

It is contemplated that the first conveyor system may be disposed at anangle relative to the surface.

It is contemplated that the foregoing angle may be 0-90 degrees.

It is contemplated that the second direction in the system may beorthogonal to the first direction.

It is contemplated that the second direction may be variable by a userand/or a controller.

It is contemplated that the speed of at least one of the first conveyorsystem and the second conveyor system may vary based on a desired speedof the contaminants ejected from a distal end of at least one of thefirst conveyor system and the second conveyor system.

It is contemplated that the system may also include a blower mechanismdisposed at a distal end of the first conveyor system or the secondconveyor system. The blower mechanism may be configured for ejecting thecontaminants leaving the distal end of the first conveyor system or thesecond conveyor system in a predetermined direction to a desireddistance.

It is further contemplated that a cover may be disposed between thefirst conveyor system and the second conveyor system to define anenclosed area.

It is contemplated that the vehicle may include a controller forcontrolling an operation of the system.

It is also contemplated that the controller may be connected to one ormore sensors that each provides a signal to the controller indicative ofa condition of the surface at a predetermined location relative to thesystem.

There may also be provided a method for removing contaminants from asurface. The method may include steps of: moving a removal system in afirst direction; placing a scraper of the removal system in contact witha surface for scraping contaminants from the surface; energizing a firstconveyor system of the removal system for transporting the contaminantsrelative to the system in a second direction wherein the seconddirection is not aligned with the first direction; breaking thecontaminants on the surface; and energizing a second conveyor system ofthe removal system for transporting the contaminants relative to thesystem in a third direction wherein the third direction is not alignedwith the first direction.

The method may further include a step of: after the step of energizing afirst conveyor system of the removal system, ejecting said contaminantsin a predetermined direction and distance.

It is further contemplated that the method may include a step of: afterthe step of breaking contaminants, sweeping the contaminants along thesurface.

It is also contemplated that the method may include a step of: after thestep of energizing a second conveyor system of the removal system,blowing the contaminants in a fourth predetermined direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a conventional fixed face moldboard snowplow;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the present invention showing a system forremoving contaminants that includes a first conveyor system, an ice andcompact breaker, a sweeper brush, a second conveyor system and a blowermechanism;

FIG. 3A is a side view of an embodiment of the first and second conveyorsystems of the present invention showing a conveyor for moving wintercontaminants in a lateral direction;

FIG. 3B is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 3A, showing two systemsof FIG. 3A placed end to end for delivering winter contaminantssimultaneously in different lateral directions;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a second embodiment of the first and secondconveyor systems of the present invention showing a plurality ofconveyors for moving winter contaminants in a longitudinal direction andthen in a lateral direction relative to the vehicle; and

FIG. 5 is a front view of a third embodiment of the first and secondconveyor system of the present invention showing a conveyor system fordelivering winter contaminants to a rotary plow snow blower or deflectorsystem wherein the blower and or deflector system redirects or deflectsthe winter contaminants in a user selected direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional curved moldboard snowplow 10 isshown. The snowplow 10 is attachable to a vehicle (not shown) andincludes a cutting edge 12 that is configured to scrap along a surface14, e.g., a runway of an airport. During use of the snowplow 10, wintercontaminants 16 , e.g., snow, ice, slush, etc. and/or debris may collectin front of the snowplow 10 as the vehicle moves in a longitudinaldirection “A.” However, as the winter contaminants 16 are removed fromthe surface 14 they collect on the snowplow 10, thereby requiring thatthe vehicle exert more energy to remove the winter contaminants 16 fromthe surface 14. In some instances, the snowplow 10 is angled relative tothe direction of travel “A” to reduce that amount of energy required bythe vehicle. However, even when angling the snowplow 10 still requiresan appreciable amount of energy from the vehicle.

Referring to FIG. 2, a system 70 according to one embodiment of thepresent invention is shown. The system 70 is configured for removingdisaggregated winter contaminants 16 and combinations of wintercontaminants 16 from the surface 14. The system 70 may include one ormore of the following: a first conveyor system 72A, a second conveyorsystem 72B, an ice and compact breaker 82, an aggressive ‘gutter brushstyle’ sweeper brush 92 and an air conveyance system 96.

The first conveyor system 72A and/or the second conveyor system 72B maybe identical to a conveyor system 20, described in detail inInternational Application No. PCT/CA2019/050002, hereby incorporatedherein by reference. The system 20 is briefly described herein.Referring to FIG. 3A, the system 20 replaces the conventional moldboardsnowplow 10 (FIG. 1) and, in general, includes a scraper 22 and aconveyor 24. The scraper 22 may be made of a material that is rigidenough to remove winter contaminants 16 from the surface 14 while notdamaging the surface 14. A leading edge 22 a of the scraper 22 may beangled or sharpened to allow the scraper 22 to aid in the removal ofwinter contaminants 16 from the surface 14. A rear edge 22 b of thescraper 22 may be positioned above a front edge 24 a of the conveyor 24.

The conveyor 24 may be one or a plurality of distinct conveyor elements26 that are configured to transport the winter contaminants 16 thereonin a lateral direction “B” (shown as into the page in FIG. 3A). It iscontemplated that the conveyor 24 may be a variable speed and/orreversible conveyor. It is contemplated that the conveyor 24 may allowan operator to vary the speed and direction that the winter contaminants16 are discharged in the lateral direction “B” from an end of theconveyor 24.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, the conveyor 24 is disposed at anangle relative to the surface 14 such that a rear edge 24 b of theconveyor 24 is vertically higher than the front edge 24 a of theconveyor 24. It is contemplated that the conveyor 24 may be disposed ata 90 degrees angle relative to the surface 14, for example, see FIG. 2.

It is contemplated that an overall width of the system 20 may be lessthan the width of the conventional snowplow 10. This is because it isnot necessary to position the system 20 at an angle to convey the wintercontaminants 16 in the lateral direction. In other words, unlikeconventional snowplows 10, the system 20 does not rely on the cosineangled width of the snowplow 10 to discharge the winter contaminants 16to a trailing edge of the snowplow 10. Instead, the system 20 provides alateral conveyor 24 that discharges the winter contaminants 16 to a leftor right side of the system 20. The lateral conveyor 24 also allows forthe use of wider systems 20 as the amount of winter contaminants thatthe vehicle must push in the longitudinal direction is greatly reduced,as compared to conventional snowplows 10.

It is also contemplated that because the system 20 is reversible, theoperator need only select a conveying direction of the lateral conveyor24 to discharge the winter contaminants 16 to the desired side of thevehicle.

It is also contemplated that the system 20 may also reduce thecompression of the winter contaminants 16 into a texture of the surface14 that tends to be caused by an excessive mass of the wintercontaminants 16 being pushed and piled in the longitudinal directionbefore exiting a trailing edge of a conventional moldboard snowplow 10.The system 20 may reduce the amount of winter contaminants 16 that ispushed into and onto the texture of the surface 14, thereby reducing theamount of chemicals or abrasives required to obtain or maintain tractionon a surface being cleared.

It is contemplated that the lateral conveyor 24 may be 2.5 to 300 feetin length for clearing surfaces 14 ranging from sidewalks to commercialrunways at airports.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, two systems 20, 30 are attachedto a vehicle 18 and placed end to end. A first system 20 moves thewinter contaminants 16 laterally in a first direction 21 that is at anangle θ₁ relative to a line perpendicular to the direction of travel(i.e., direction “A”) of the vehicle 18. A second system 30 moves thewinter contaminant 16 laterally in a second direction 31 that is at anangle θ₂ relative to the line perpendicular to the direction “A.” In theembodiment shown, angle θ₁ is about 20° and θ₂ is about 20°. The firstdirection 21 and the second direction 31 are shown as being less than180° relative to each other. It is contemplated that as the anglesθ_(1 and) θ₁ vary the angle between the first direction 21 and thesecond direction 31 may be greater than or less than 180°.

It is also contemplated that a controller 100 may be connected to thetwo systems 20, 30 for allowing a user to manually adjust the angles θ₁and θ₂. It is also contemplated that the controller 100 may beprogrammed to automatically adjust the angles θ₁ and θ₂ based on thespeed of the vehicle 18 and/or based on the conditions of the surface 14and the amount of winter contaminants 16 to be removed from the surface14.

It is also contemplated that the first conveyor system 72A and/or thesecond conveyor system 72B may be identical to a conveyor system 40,described in detail in International Application No. PCT/CA2019/050002,hereby incorporated herein by reference. Referring to FIG. 4, theconveyor system 40, in general, includes a scraper 42, a vertical liftconveyor 44 and one or more lateral conveyors 46. The scraper 42 issimilar to the scraper 22 discussed above and will not be described indetail below. A leading edge 42 a of the scraper 42 engages the surface14 and a rear edge 42 b of the scraper 42 is positioned above a leadingedge 44 a of the vertical lift conveyor 44. The vertical lift conveyor44 may be configured to transport the winter contaminant 16 leaving therear edge 42 b of the scraper 42 in a direction “C” that is opposite thedirection of travel “A” of the vehicle (not shown). A rear edge 44 b ofthe vertical lift conveyor 44 may be positioned above a leading edge 46a of the lateral conveyor 46. The one or more lateral conveyors 46 maythen discharge the winter contaminant 16 in the desired lateraldirection. It is also contemplated that the vertical lift conveyor 44may allow the operator to increase the longitudinal speed of thevehicle, thereby clearing the surface 14 faster as compared to a vehicleutilizing the conventional snowplow 10.

In the embodiment shown, the lateral conveyor 46 is disposed parallel tothe surface 14. It is contemplated that the lateral conveyor 46 may beat any angle relative to the surface 14, e.g., perpendicular, 45degrees, 60 degrees, etc. so long as the lateral conveyor 46 moves thewinter contaminants 16 in a lateral direction.

In the embodiments shown, the lateral conveyor 46 and the vertical liftconveyor 44 are shown as conventional belt conveyors. It is contemplatedthat the lateral conveyor 46 and the vertical lift conveyor 44 may alsobe segmented track conveyors and/or include cups or scoops to increasethe efficiency in conveying the winter contaminant 16 in the desireddirection.

It is further contemplated that the first conveyor system 72A and/or thesecond conveyor system 72B may include a system 60, described in detailin International Application No. PCT/CA2019/050002, hereby incorporatedherein by reference. Referring to FIG. 5, the system 60 is similar tothe system 20, described in detail above. The system 60 includes alateral conveyor 62 and a redirecting mechanism 64 that may be disposedat either or both ends of the lateral conveyor 62. The redirectingmechanism 64 may be deployed such that the winter contaminant 16 beingdischarged from either end of the lateral conveyor 62 is redirectedselectively from upward, downward, forward and rearward relative to therespective end of the lateral conveyor 62. This redirecting of thewinter contaminant 16 may avoid discharging the winter contaminant 16into or onto an object like a driveway, roadway guardrail, airportrunway edge light, runway or roadway intersection, sign or other object.It is contemplated that the redirecting mechanism 64 may be a conveyingapparatus with a plurality of vanes or blades (not shown) fordischarging the winter contaminant 16 in a desired direction.

As described in detail above, in general, each system 72A, 72B includesa scraper 74 a, 74 b and a lateral conveyor 76 a, 76 b. The lateralconveyors 76 a, 76 b are configured for transporting the wintercontaminants 16 thereon in a lateral direction “B,” as selected by theoperator or controller 100. As described above, the systems 72A, 72B mayinclude one or more of the systems 20, 40, 60 described in detail above.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the ice and compact breaker 82 is positionedbetween the first and second conveyor systems 72A, 72B. The ice andcompact breaker 82 includes a cylindrical body 84 with a plurality ofteeth 86 protruding from the cylindrical surface of the cylindrical body84. The cylindrical body 84 is rotatable about a central axis thataligns with the lateral direction “B.” The ice and compact breaker 82 ispositioned between caster wheels 87 that help in positioning theplurality of teeth 86 at the correct position relative to the surface14. The ice and compact breaker 82 may be moveable in a verticaldirection for crushing hard winter contaminants 16 on the surface 14that have passed under a cutting edge of the first conveyor system 72Aor a conventional moldboard plow (not shown).

The sweeper brush 92 is positioned between the ice and compact breakers82 and the second conveyor system 72B. The sweeper brush 92 includes aplurality of individual brush elements 94 that are stationary and/orconfigured to rotate about a vertical axis 94 a. The sweeper brush 92may be moveable in a vertical direction for cutting into anddisaggregating the hard winter contaminants 16 that may have passedunder the first conveyor system 72A or conventional moldboard plow (notshown) and was subsequently broken by the ice and compact breaker 82.

The air conveyance system 96 may be positioned behind the secondconveyor system 72B for blowing and conveying disaggregated wintercontaminants 16 under and to a front of the second conveyor system 72B.The air conveyance system 96 may be a high-pressure blower that isconfigured to blow a stream of high-pressure air under the secondconveyor system 72B. A cover 99 may cover the ice and compact breakers82 and sweeper brushes 92 to contain the loose winter contaminants 16 ina controlled area 101.

During operation of the system 70, a vehicle 110 (to which the system 70is attached) moves in a direction “A” to remove winter contaminants 16from the surface 14. The controller 100 is connected remotely by radio,or locally on-vehicle to the vehicle and various components of thesystem 70 for controlling the operation thereof. The controller 100 maybe a conventional computer unit that includes a central processing unit(CPU) that processes commands and input and generates output commands,an input unit for receiving commands from the user and signals fromvarious components of the system 70, an output unit for conveyingcommands from the CPU to the various components of the system 70 and astorage unit for storing data received and/or generated by the CPU.Various control lines (not shown) may extend from the controller 100 tothe components of the system 70. It is contemplated that the controllines (not shown) may be configured to send power and/or signals betweenthe respective component and the controller 100. It is also contemplatedthat the control lines (not shown) may represent other commonly knowntypes of wired and/or wireless communication between the controller 100and the various components of the system 70, including but not limitedto, hard wire, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, etc. and combinations thereof.

The controller 100 may be connected to sensors 120A, 120B, 120C(schematically shown in FIG. 2) for ascertaining the efficiency of thesystem 70 at various stages or locations in the system 70. It iscontemplated that the sensor 120A may ascertain the condition of theuntreated surface 14, the sensor 120B may ascertain the condition of thesurface 14 after treatment by the ice and compact breaker 82 and/or thesweeper brush 92 and the sensor 120C may ascertain the condition of thesurface 14 after treatment by the air conveyance system 96.

During operation, the winter contaminants 16 are scraped from thesurface 14 by the first conveyor system 72A and transported in thelateral direction “B” to one or both sides of the vehicle 110. Thewinter contaminants 16 on the surface 14 that may have passed under thefirst conveyor system 72A are broken by the ice and compact breaker 82.As noted above, the position of the ice and compact breaker 82 relativeto the surface 14 is selected such that the plurality of teeth 86 on theice and compact breaker 82 breaks apart the winter contaminants 16 in amanner that minimizes damage to the surface 14.

The winter contaminants 16 that are loosened by the ice and compactbreaker 82 are then further broken apart by the sweeper brush 92. Thebroken winter contaminants 16 are scraped from the surface 14 by thesecond conveyor system 72B and transported to one or both sides of thevehicle 110. Any winter contaminants 16 that may have passed under thesecond conveyor system 72B are blown back in front of the secondconveyor system 72B by the air conveyance system 96. The system 70 thusleaves a cleaner surface than conventional horizontal axis sweepers andhorizontally, laterally directed air blowers.

It is contemplated that the controller 100 may use the signals fromsensors 120A, 120B, 120C to adjust the operation/position of the firstconveyor system 72A, the ice and compact breakers 82, the sweeper brush92, the second conveyor system 72B and the air conveyance system 96 toimprove the removal of contaminants 16 from the surface 14. For example,the vertical position of the foregoing components can be raised and/orlowered as needed to remove more contaminants 16 from the surface 14.The controller 100 may be programmed to constantly monitor the signalsfrom the sensor 120A, 120B, 120C to separately or collectively adjustthe operation of the foregoing components of the system 70. It iscontemplated that the controller 100 may be programmed to adjust theoperation of the system 70 based on the speed of the vehicle 110.

The invention has been described with reference to the exampleembodiments described above. Modifications and alterations will occur toothers upon a reading and understanding of this specification. Examplesembodiments incorporating one or more aspects of the invention areintended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar asthey come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claims is:
 1. A system for removing contaminants from a surface,the system attached to a vehicle that is movable in a first direction,the system comprising: a first scraper for removing contaminants from asurface; a first conveyor system including a continuous track elementfor conveying the contaminants removed from the surface in a seconddirection wherein the second direction is not aligned with the firstdirection; a second scraper for removing contaminants from the surface,the second scraper positioned between the first conveyor system and thevehicle; a second conveyor system positioned between the vehicle and thesecond scraper, the second conveyor system including a continuous trackelement for conveying the contaminants removed from the surface in athird direction wherein the third direction is not aligned with thefirst direction; and an ice and compact breaker positioned between thefirst conveyor system and the second conveyor system, the ice andcompact breaker including a plurality of teeth for breaking thecontaminants on the surface.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the iceand compact breaker is vertically adjustable relative to the surface. 3.The system of claim 1, further comprising: a sweeper brush positionedbetween the ice and compact breaker and the second conveyor system, thesweeper brush including a plurality of brushes for brushing thecontaminants on the surface.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein theplurality of brushes are stationary or rotatable about a vertical axisof the sweeper brush.
 5. The system of claim 3, wherein the sweeperbrush is vertically adjustable relative to the surface for cutting intoand disaggregating the contaminants on the surface.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, further comprising: a blower mechanism positioned between thesecond conveyor system and the vehicle, the blower mechanism generatinga stream of high velocity air and having an outlet for directing thestream of high velocity air toward the surface.
 7. The system of claim6, wherein the blower mechanism is vertically adjustable relative to thesurface.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first conveyor system isdisposed at an angle relative to the surface.
 9. The system of claim 8,wherein the angle is 90 degrees.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein thesecond direction is orthogonal to the first direction.
 11. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the second direction is variable by a user and/or acontroller.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein a speed of at least oneof the first conveyor system and the second conveyor system varies basedon a desired speed of the contaminants ejected from a distal end of theat least one of the first conveyor system and the second conveyorsystem.
 13. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a blowermechanism disposed at a distal end of the first conveyor system or thesecond conveyor system, the blower mechanism configured for ejecting thecontaminants leaving the distal end of the first conveyor system or thesecond conveyor system in a predetermined direction to a desireddistance.
 14. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a coverdisposed between the first conveyor system and the second conveyorsystem to define an enclosed area.
 15. The system of claim 1, whereinthe vehicle includes a controller for controlling an operation of thesystem.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the controller is connectedto one or more sensors that each provides a signal to the controllerindicative of a condition of the surface at a predetermined locationrelative to the system.
 17. A method for removing contaminants from asurface, the method including steps of: moving a removal system in afirst direction; placing a scraper of the removal system in contact witha surface for scraping contaminants from the surface; energizing a firstconveyor system of the removal system for transporting the contaminantsrelative to the removal system in a second direction wherein the seconddirection is not aligned with the first direction; breaking contaminantson the surface; and energizing a second conveyor system of the removalsystem for transporting the contaminants relative to the removal systemin a third direction wherein the third direction is not aligned with thefirst direction.
 18. The method of claim 17, further including a stepof: after said step of energizing a first conveyor system of the removalsystem, ejecting said contaminants in a predetermined direction anddistance.
 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising a step of:after said step of breaking contaminants, sweeping the contaminantsalong the surface.
 20. The method of claim 17, further comprising a stepof: after said step of energizing a second conveyor system, blowing thecontaminants in a fourth predetermined direction.